And while he doesn’t believe it’s likely he’ll be still going in 10 years, he also feels as good as ever.

“I roll out of bed and I want to go to the gym,” Hieron told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I want to compete with the best and see where I’m at. As long as I have that mind frame and that’s how I feel, that’s how long I’ll be in the game. I don’t take it as, ‘I’m getting too old.’

“Realistically thinking, everything’s going to slow down and I’m going to have to pull back from that. But right now, I feel in tremendous shape.”

After seven years outside the UFC, Hieron returned in October, but dropped a unanimous decision to Jake Ellenberger. Against Woodley, he faces a former Strikeforce standout making his UFC debut after the crossover.

Woodley, too, is coming off a loss. In July, he was knocked out by Nate Marquardt in a Strikeforce welterweight title fight. He made a choice to stand and trade with Marquardt, and it cost him in the long run – though he did find periods of success in the standup game.

With the pressure of a UFC debut and the pressure of trying to avoid back-to-back losses, Hieron thinks Woodley may revert to wrestling to try to give himself an advantage.

“(Standing up) didn’t go too well for him (against Marquardt) – he got knocked out pretty bad,” Hieron said. “Maybe his first time in the UFC, I’m not going to say he’s going to come out and try to hold me, but I think eventually he’ll start to wrestle me. But I can go out and take him down if I want. I’m ready for everything. I’m focusing on me and doing my thing. I’m ready for whatever he shows me.”

He said he had a similar training camp preparing to fight Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren a little more than a year ago, a fight he lost by split decision – the closest anyone has been to knocking off the unbeaten wrestling specialist.

But he also said the emotion of being back in the UFC could help lift him up against Woodley, carrying over from his October return.

“It’s been great. Coming back was great,” he said. “It felt great walking to the cage. The fans gave me a lot of love, and I’m back.

“It’s a great opponent and a great fight for me. I’m healthy and I’m right where I want to be right now. I trained for a similar type as Woodley with Askren. So everything’s on target.”

For more on UFC 156 and the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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